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Posted on 05/01/2011 6:06:36 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Long after blacks and Jews have made great strides, and even as homosexuals gain respect, acceptance and new rights, there is still a group that lots of Americans just don’t like much: atheists. Those who don’t believe in God are widely considered to be immoral, wicked and angry. They can’t join the Boy Scouts. Atheist soldiers are rated potentially deficient when they do not score as sufficiently “spiritual” in military psychological evaluations. Surveys find that most Americans refuse or are reluctant to marry or vote for nontheists; in other words, nonbelievers are one minority still commonly denied in practical terms the right to assume office despite the constitutional ban on religious tests.
Rarely denounced by the mainstream, this stunning anti-atheist discrimination is egged on by Christian conservatives who stridently — and uncivilly — declare that the lack of godly faith is detrimental to society, rendering nonbelievers intrinsically suspect and second-class citizens.
Is this knee-jerk dislike of atheists warranted? Not even close.
A growing body of social science research reveals that atheists, and non-religious people in general, are far from the unsavory beings many assume them to be. On basic questions of morality and human decency — issues such as governmental use of torture, the death penalty, punitive hitting of children, racism, sexism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, environmental degradation or human rights — the irreligious tend to be more ethical than their religious peers, particularly compared with those who describe themselves as very religious.
Consider that at the societal level, murder rates are far lower in secularized nations such as Japan or Sweden than they are in the much more religious United States, which also has a much greater portion of its population in prison.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
RE: I would observe that the majority of atheists I’ve met are angry and bitter.
Well, what can I say? The author(s) of this Washington Post piece makes the following observation in contrast to your observation :
“Studies of apostates — people who were religious but later rejected their religion — report feeling happier, better and liberated in their post-religious lives.”
Both of you can’t be right here.
I find this chart interesting in that the questions have “prescriptive” behavior in it ( e.g. Homosexuality is an unacceptable lifestyle ).
Twenty percent of atheists say it isn’t. This begs the question -— why ?
Believers can always refer to God’s laws to determine whether a lifestyle is or isn’t right.
What does the atheist refer to ? Darwinian evolution ? Or their own personal taste?
What a stupid article.
C.S. Lewis was an atheist that converted to Christianity and became a much happier, joyful, creative, productive person with many deep friendships.
The difference is that atheists are moral relativists. There are no absolutes for these people except material gratification. Singer debated that because of that whatever they decide is “right” becomes right, which includes killing infants after birth, if the parent wills it.
Atheism only allows arbitrary laws created by the most powerful. It will be based on politics and power and will always be immoral as defined by our Constitution which is about morality in law—Just Law—which is only found in Judeo/Christian ethics.
Stalin was an atheist.....and Hitler was a pagan occultist. When you dump moral absolutes (which come from the Bible) you can never be a moral person and give dignity and worth to all humans.
The evolution of mammals is entirely heterosexual...
Most “atheists” are really religious faggots to think otherwise...
The morally sick democrats are despicable. Love the Boy Scouts.
Because some of the more notable and vocal ones can be miserable people to deal with, at least on that subject.
And you wonder why atheists think that Christians are hypocritical bigots.
I’m an atheist...
Religious faggots who think they can evolve with anal birth are insane...
I don’t dislike atheists. I just know they are wrong, I pity them.
I dislike atheists who try to suppress my freedom to worship God.
I don’t believe in atheists. People will always have a “god” that they worship....be it power, money, social status, vanity, sports teams, celebrities, etc.
Since neither believes in God, you would be right. I've known a few fine people who consider themselves to be Atheists... but I've always considered the good ones to be Agnostic, whether they admit it or not.
Considering this is the Washington Post, I'll put my faith in the original poster first. :)
““Studies of apostates — people who were religious but later rejected their religion — report feeling happier, better and liberated in their post-religious lives.””
I suppose that would depend entirely on what religion it was they believed and later rejected ...
The issue isn’t religion or a specific religion, but belief in God versus belief in yourself as god (atheism).
I made a personal observation. My observation remains true. YMMV.
ampu
One can only speculate, but my opinion is they are perceived as often lacking “love”, and even a good understanding of it. While sometimes smart, they are almost bionic. These traits lead to them appearing as untrustworthy, and very unpredictable, which lead to uncomfortable impressions. I still pray for them, so that they may one day see the light, and personally experience Holy miracles of their own.
Everytime I see these polls on religion, I wish that they would always break out the results by race. On the occasions when they do, it is usually black Americans who are the most devout as churchgoers and most hostile to atheists.
Yep, and blacks have the highest rate of churchgoing in the country. You are better off living amongst secular Japanese and French then you are amongst certain devoutly Christian groups.
I dont believe in any religion or any scripture and I never discuss it with anyone. You might be drawing general conclusions about non-believers based on a relatively small sample who feel the need to burden others with their beliefs. The model can be seen among believers too.
Uhhh... WaPo, I think you've got this exactly 180 degrees backward.
Because they’re arrogant and condescending. Which is logical ... if you really believe in a Supreme Being, you tend to be somewhat humble.
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